The gorgeous Ann Sheridan is terrific in anything and surely even better in nothing, but she was about the only good thing in this mediocre noir soaper that was pretty unbelievable overall, but I guess the flawed story could happen in a million years, maybe.
A wimpy and conservative married doctor is smitten with a hot nightclub singer and the resulting affair causes his boring but orderly marriage and life to go to hell....how many times have we already seen that same old story, but we always buy into it thinking...."this time it will be different"...but it never is in stories based on the 40's movie fairytale of selective morality where some players are mortally damaged but others with equal or greater guilt are winners.
The story was on shaky ground almost from the beginning and needed some implausible and reality-challenged twists to stay on track, and of course it ended badly for the wimp doctor, who gradually changed into a madman under the pressure of his guilt, but ended OK for the hot chick. I said selective morality earlier because Sheridan's sincere effort to take a married man away from his wife was oddly not punished here, as the doctor was the story's chosen fall guy and nothing was going to change that plot imperative. Quite a stretch there, but the story had a lot of implausible plot angles thrown at us, some of which were nearly laughable and made the film much less involving than it could have been with a bit more realism in it. And, the actor who played the leading man was OK as a doctor and mild mannered nice guy(wimp)but only as those, as he didn't have the presence or magnetism to be a tough guy later and was by far the weakest link in this obvious Sheridan vehicle. Oh, Alan Alda's dad was pretty good as the nightclub owner in an easy role.
The great movie tune of "Who Cares What People Say" sung by Sheridan was by far the best thing about this film.....and it should be seen just for her heartfelt and sad rendition of that truly romantic love song. Who wouldn't love her after hearing that?
A wimpy and conservative married doctor is smitten with a hot nightclub singer and the resulting affair causes his boring but orderly marriage and life to go to hell....how many times have we already seen that same old story, but we always buy into it thinking...."this time it will be different"...but it never is in stories based on the 40's movie fairytale of selective morality where some players are mortally damaged but others with equal or greater guilt are winners.
The story was on shaky ground almost from the beginning and needed some implausible and reality-challenged twists to stay on track, and of course it ended badly for the wimp doctor, who gradually changed into a madman under the pressure of his guilt, but ended OK for the hot chick. I said selective morality earlier because Sheridan's sincere effort to take a married man away from his wife was oddly not punished here, as the doctor was the story's chosen fall guy and nothing was going to change that plot imperative. Quite a stretch there, but the story had a lot of implausible plot angles thrown at us, some of which were nearly laughable and made the film much less involving than it could have been with a bit more realism in it. And, the actor who played the leading man was OK as a doctor and mild mannered nice guy(wimp)but only as those, as he didn't have the presence or magnetism to be a tough guy later and was by far the weakest link in this obvious Sheridan vehicle. Oh, Alan Alda's dad was pretty good as the nightclub owner in an easy role.
The great movie tune of "Who Cares What People Say" sung by Sheridan was by far the best thing about this film.....and it should be seen just for her heartfelt and sad rendition of that truly romantic love song. Who wouldn't love her after hearing that?